The Isle PC

The Isle is an independent survival sandbox in the MMO convention developed by the American studio The Isle Development Team, for which this is a debut game. However, the developers have already had contact with games about dinosaurs, as they co-created several similar titles in other companies. The project focuses on these extinct reptiles, but in contrast to ARK: Survival Evolved in the game we take direct control over these animals.

Gameplay

The action of The Isle takes place on a fictional island inhabited by dinosaurs and other prehistoric reptiles, for which the mysterious Apollo Engineering organization is apparently responsible. As in any survival game, the primary goal in this one is to survive. Players find themselves on a vast island (over 16 square kilometers) inhabited by dinosaurs and other prehistoric reptiles. The developers have prepared more than a dozen types of these creatures; there are austroraptor, triceratops, carnotaurus, tyrannosaurus rex, gallimimus, utahraptor, acrocanthosaurus or allosaurus.

Controlling one of the reptiles, we have to provide them with all the things they need to live - food and water above all. Travelling through forests and swamps we look for food, but as a predator we have to hunt smaller specimens, avoid bigger, more dangerous ones and grow or climb up the food chain by changing into stronger dinosaur species. On one server there can be up to one hundred players, but it doesn't mean that we meet only them. During the game we come across animals controlled by the artificial intelligence. It is also worth mentioning the possibility of joining the herd or setting up nests, which greatly facilitates survival. The hatched offspring must be taken care of later, and another person can play the role of a small dinosaur.

The Isle is a realistic 3D game based on Unreal Engine technology. Diverse locations deserve special attention, but the dinosaurs themselves also look very good, both in terms of detailed models and animation. The authors have also taken care of the realistic dinosaur tracks on the surface and the sounds of the environment.

Survival and sandbox

In The Isle we will find two basic game modes. The main attraction is Survival, in which we start as a young dinosaur and - as the name suggests - try to survive long enough for the animal we control to reach adulthood. Sandbox, on the other hand, allows us to start the game as a fully developed representative of any of the available species of prehistoric reptiles. In addition, there is Progression, in which we start from the smallest species of animals and gradually advance by transforming into bigger and more dangerous beasts. However, this mode is no longer developed.

The Isle also offers the ability to create your own servers with slightly different rules from those prevailing on the official "worlds" prepared by the developers.

The Isle: Legacy and EVRIMA

At the turn of 2019 and 2020, the developers decided to completely rebuild the source code of The Isle. The condition of the game version at that time prevented or significantly hindered the introduction of major modifications, and some systems were, according to the developers, outdated. As a result of this decision the game was split into two versions: Legacy and EVRIMA. Both are being developed by the authors, with Legacy being updated less frequently than the new release.

Legacy is the original version of The Isle, which has been in active development since 2015, and as of now (as of mid-2021) boasts a greater variety of dinosaurs. Compared to it, EVRIMA (available June 19, 2020 via the "Beta" feature on Steam) offers many improvements, albeit introduced to the game gradually. This includes a collision system for dinosaur models, perks, and special abilities unique to each species, such as carnotaurus charge and utahraptor jump. The tracking system has also been improved, which, along with other changes (including bonuses from a healthy diet that force migration), discourages staying in one place for too long (for example, hiding in the same bush all the time). In addition, it is now possible to pick off pieces of meat and carry them to safety (or, in the case of larger predators, to take the entire animal).

In addition to these and other changes, there are new features yet to be developed, such as human factions (both modern mercenaries and primitive natives), an improved day and night cycle, sexual dimorphism of dinosaurs, and new playable species and strains (special, advanced versions) of prehistoric reptiles (including flying and aquatic ones). The developers also anticipate fan modification support and plenty of technical improvements.

Last updated on 14 October 2024